Security system? Think you don't need it?

When the housing estates around my own started setting up their own security systems, the crime rate in my neighbourhood increased.

I am lucky that some residents in my housing estate have volunteered to set one up and all I have to do is to support it by paying a small fee to engage security guards. It is not an easy process to start up as there will be residents who will complaint about the system or give lots of excuses to avoid paying.

Following is a video of a robbery that occured in Taman Maluri, Cheras, forwarded by one of the residents for those who think that we do not need a security system in our neighbourhood.

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From My InBox:

CRIME REPORT BY UTAR STUDENTS

From My InBox:

We (3 UTAR students) waited for bus since late 7 evening at the bus
stop for bus number U41 Rapid KL beside Times Square. There are many
people there mostly consist of malays. The bus came at around 8.45pm
bus it was too packed. So we waited for another round. Until 9.50pm
the bus has not arrived. A young malay boy suddenly talk to us like
wanted to quarrel, so my
friend (boy) ignore him. That malay boy tap my friend’s shoulder, and
after that my friend were being punched in the eye and dragged to the
back of the bus stop and continuously beaten by at least 3 malay young
men. I called for help but all the malays (around 30) stood by,
everybody thought it was just normal fighting. Until they have beaten
my friend for around 3 minutes, all
of them ran away. My friend then only told us that they had taken his
mobile phone in his pocket. My bag was carried by him was taken too.
Inside consist of a camera(Sony T-100, forgot to report), wallet
including Identification Card, car and motor license, credit card, atm
card, UTAR student card and about RM 20 cash inside.

We had made a police report number THSL/007777/09 at Dang Wangi police
station around 10.49pm. After that we sent our friend to Selayang
Hospital for his injury.

After we analyze the whole incident, we realize that, the fighting was
being purposely created in order to create a chaos situation where
they can take advantage of it to steal and rob our longings. This is
because, we did not do anything to stir them up but they act it as if
both parties were meant to fight. In between the beating, they took
our belongings without us(all the witness of the situation) realizing
at all. Until they have ran away, only
we know what is really happening.

I have heard that many cases have already happened there with the same
tactic. But it is still happening. As a UTARian, Sg Long campus
student, that bus stop is the only way for us to take bus back from
that area. It is very dangerous for us and thus, I hope that the media
can perform their role for the society since the authority did not
manage to stop this from happening again and again. I also hope that
the authority can take these cases more seriously since it has already
happened many times and that place is tourism hotspot. I believe that
Malaysians will hope to give tourist a good impression about Malaysia
especially on the safety side. I hope to warn all people to be aware
of the tactics these people are using and avoid becoming the next
victim.

Looking at Ladakh

Take a look at what Ladakh is like through the eyes of a traveler.

Ladakh Endless Discoveries (Virtual tours of India from 101 Moments.com)

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: journey incredible)

Ever wondered what Ladakh would be like through the eyes of the people living there? I did after receiving any email about the place from a friend. I did a search on it and this is what I discovered.

Looking At Ladakh

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: mission education)

Robbery At UTAR - Bandar Sungai Long

I came across this posting "Robbery At UTAR - Bandar Sungai Long" on iMalaysian Blog.

Please read it as the UTAR student who was almost robbed described the
robbers and the tactics they used. He also claimed that he may
have received calls from one of the robbers in response to his ad for
house mate. This indicated that he has been watched and followed!

Read also the advises he provided through this experience.

Robbery at Hair Salon in Sg. Long

This incident happened to a resident in Sg. Long. Though she suggested that it is best to carry photocopy of MyKad instead of the original copy, I think that it is not acceptable by relevant authorities, example, police at road blocks.

It is best to make copies of all your important documents like birth or marriage certificates, identity cards, etc. Accept for the identity cards, which you should have with you at all times when you are out of the house, keep all the photocopies together with your original copies in a clear holder file.

That way, if you need to go to a statutory board to have some matters settled, you will be assured that all your personal documents are intact when you bring that file with you. This will prevent stress and delays in getting your request processed because of missing documents required. Also, it maybe more expensive to make copies of documents at statutory offices.

Useful links to look up:

1) What you should do if you have been robbed.

2) All articles on Crime Alert.

3) If you are not from Malaysia: List of identity card policies by country

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I was in one of the Hair Salon in Sg. Long. at 6:30pm, 2 Chinese Young robbers, went into hair salon, and taken almost all wallet & HP of about 5 customers, and 4 men staffs. 2 guys came in with Long, sharp "Parang", lucky everyone has been cooperative to give what they want. They went off with another driver in a car Putra, with no Car plate.
Nothing we can do, just drop a few lines for all of you, not to bring so much cash out from house, and photocopy all your important document! Now i learnt my lesson, i should be bringing out a photocopy IC instead of original. And get ready all the important credit card call centre with you. Thanks.
Be Very street smart, when you are with your kids, eg: with / without grocery shopping,or morning market, your children must be the priority! Eg:, never leave your car door open , with children in the car, when you just drop by at friends' house to take something, or your own house! Nowadays, many people jobless, so, may be they have no way out. They will have creative funny idea to get money. Please take care of your family & children for me, i really Cannot sleep the whole night!!

Lost your passport? Go through this check list.

I love the forum we have set up for residents living in Section 4 of Sungai Long. This is where friends of the community can post and share many useful information. Here is one of them.
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my wife and i decided to apply for our international passports after
we discovered that we had lost ours some years back when we were
moving house. so i thought i would be smart enough to log in to
jabatan imigresyen malaysia.

i searched the FAQs to learn about how to apply for lost passports. i
got this reply:
first you need to lodge a report at the nearest police station. then
fill in the passport application and survey forms (whatever that is)
which can be obtained from the immigration offices for you to submit
an application for replacement.

sounds easy enough?

so we did, we made a report at the police station in BSL. we were told
to collect the report in Balai Polis Kajang because their office is
currently not online.

next i download the application forms from the website and fill them
up. then i photostated a copy of our ICs. we got our two passport size
photos ready.

then i called up the putrajaya immigration head office which i got
from the website and told them my story. the spokeslady said that i
must apply at the office in PKNS, Shah Alam. "Why can't i apply in the
Kajang office?" No, she said firmly.

i took a day off and left early in the morning, at 7am for Shah Alam
with my wife. due to the heavy traffic, it took us an hour to reach
the place.

the immigration office was not crowded and we went straight to the
counter. then the office told us that we must have two photocopies of
the IC. we also had to buy a declaration form which must be stamped by
the commissioner for oath. fortunately the commissioner was nearby and
we did it quite quickly.

we returned to the immigration office and was told that we have to
bring our birth certificates. gosh! after all the effort for the trip,
are we going home just to get the birth cert? we were utterly
frustrated because there was no guideline on the website. we were also
told that we could apply the passport in any of the offices, not
necessary in shah alam. How we were misled, by incompetent officers
and staff of the immigration office.

we left shah alam dejected, frustrated, angry. we reached home,
searched for our birth certs, photostated them and headed for the
kajang immigration instead. we reached there by 12 noon. we went
straight to the application counter with all the necessary documents
thinking that we are safe at last.

then we were told based on their checklist that we have one document
missing - electricity or water or telephone bill as proof of
residentship. this addition in under checklist 16: lain-lain yang
difikirkan perlu. we were gobsmacked, jawdropped, amazed, amused at
the whole episode. as for the rest of the story, we leave it to your
imagination.

here's the complete checklist of documents to be submitted:

1. borang permohonan pasport malaysia (IM.42 Pin 1/97)
2. borang soal selidik kehilangan pasport malaysia (IM.42C), bagi kes
hilang
3. dua (2) salinan kad pengenalan dan (ASAL)
4. Dua (2) salinan sijik kelahiran/borang W (Jika lahir diluar negara)
dan (ASAL)
5. dua (2) salinan sijil warganegar, jika berkenaan
6. dua (2) keping gambar terbaru mengikut spesifikasi yang ditetapkan
7. salinan pasport malaysia hilang (jika ada) / salinan pasport
malaysia rosak
8. laporan polis yang telah disahkan bagi kes hilang atau jika pasport
rosak akibat penganiayaan (2 copies)
9. laporan bomba, jika kehilangan/keroskan akibat kebakaran
10. surat pengesahan banjir dari pihak berkuasa tempatan, jika
kehilangan/kerosakan akibat dari banjir
11. sijik perakuan cemas beserta surat laporan dari pejabat imigresen
lapangan terbang. jika kehilangan/berlaku diluar negara.
12. surat pengesahan taraf, jika pemohon bertaraf penduduk tetap
diluar negara
13. surat pengesahan/tawaran belajar diluar negara, jika berkaitan
14. surat pengesahan/tawaran bekerja daripada majikan, jika berkenaan
15. sijil perkawinan/surat cerai jika dibawah 18 tahun dan telah
berkahwin
16. lain-lain dokumen yang difikirkan perlu (bil eletrik/bil air/bil
telefon)

Keeping abreast by volunteering.

I have taken up quite a number of software training and computer skills while I was working. I noticed that I cannot recall most of the useful tricks I have picked up as soon as I stopped using the software. And I hate it when I have to ask my friends for assistance when I need to utilize softwares that I used to know.

I have discovered a way to retain my administrative skills and pick up new skills in the process. I have volunteered to be the Secretary of Sungai Long Buddhist Society.

Last year, I was able to learn how to download videos from YouTube, save and view them off line from my PC from a fellow member. This year, the society has a good number of new committee members with a wide variety of skills and interests. I expect that I will be able to pick up anything from photography to audio visual set up to publishing.

What do I have to share with them? How about National Grid for Learning Cymru, an online teaching and learning resources, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government?

From there I discovered a "How to" link that contains step-by-step guide of the most commonly used software applications of schools in Wales.

Now we all know where we can go if we need some tips or brush up on the following software:

Microsoft Word
Microsoft Powerpoint
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Movie Maker
Microsoft GIF Animator
Smart Notebook
Audacity
ICT Alive
Irfanview
Illuminatus Opus
Pinnacle Studio
Roamer World
Netobjects Fusion
Softease
Windows Sound Recorder
MSW Logo
Digital Blue Camera

Caught your interest? This is where you can find "Volunteer and Charity Work" in Malaysia.

Be more adventurous. There are many organizations overseas looking for volunteers. Here are some that I have discovered.

Global Conscience Initiative in Cameroon.
Volunteer Match in USA
Go Volunteer list information on some of Australia's leading volunteer organisations.

So, retain your skills and discover where they can take you when you think the time is right for you.

Noble Eightfold Path? A game to remember.

My son is a student of the Sunday Dhamma School at the Sungai Long Buddhist Society. He told me today that he could not remember the Noble Eightfold Path, which is a simple practical guideline of moral paths one has to take to be free of dissatisfactions in life and be enlightened.

I taught him to recall them by the acronym "SALEM MUT" to represent perfect:

Speech
Action
Livelihood
Efforts
Mindfulness

Meditation
Understanding
Thoughts

When he still could not recall some of the points, I decided to use a Socratic method to help him recall better by asking him some simple questions about "The Tumble Down" game, which he has played before.



Q) What must you do before you play this game?
A) You must know the rules.

Q) It's called "The Tumble Down" game. That means that you win when you are first to tumble down the stacks, right?
A) No (He laughed). You must understand the game. (Recalls Perfect Understanding)

Q) Can you simply stack up the bricks?
A) No, I must stack them up neatly. (Recalls Perfect Efforts)

Q) Can you play the game while doing something else?
A) No I must concentrate on the game and aim to win. (Recalls Perfect Meditation)

Q) What is your most treasured toy?
A) Playstation.

Q) Imagine that the brick you are going to move is your Playstation would you handle it with more care?
A) Yes. (Recalls Perfect Mindfulness)

Let us change the name of this game to the "Enlightening Game" and imagine that each brick represents people you care and love and each colour represents the issues and problems you face in your life.

Q) Now imagine that each time you move a colour and re-stack it, you are working on solving the problem. The gap where the brick was represents your morality based on the way you have solved your problems. What kind of "branding" of yourself do you want to leave behind? Do you want people to remember you as someone who cannot be trusted or who is rude and a bully?
A) I want to leave a good impression. (Recall Perfect Thoughts, Perfect Speech and Perfect Actions)

Q) Now imagine that you have a problem making a living how would you solve your problem? Remember the impression you said you want to leave behind and that in the "Enlightenment Game", the bricks represents people you care and love. When you make a mistake and stumble you bring them down with you.
A) I will not do anything immoral. (Recall Perfect Livelihood).

What else can you teach with "The Tumble Down" game? How about teamwork?.

999? Not the emergency number to call.

If you there is an emergency should you be calling the police or a telephone exchange line? In Malaysia, if you dial 999 for support, what you will get is Telekom's telephonist before your call is transferred to the police.

If response time is of utmost importance to you in your dire situation, dial Rakancop Hotline instead. For those in the state of Selangor the number to call is 03-2052 9999. If you are in Kualau Lumpur, call 03-2115 9999.

Or you can SMS 32728 as follows:

Key in POLIS (type in the State you are in) and the emergency state you are in.

If you would like a list of the emergency contacts for other states, call Careline at 03-5569 2840 to find out where you can go to get their give aways, such as, tags and stickers. I got my sticker from Hai-O chain store in Bandar Sungai Long.

Read an update of "999" saga to see if it is off or on again.